We are investigating Histone deacetylases (HDAC) which are part of an epigenetic regulatory system serving as a unique control of the chromatin remodeling process, determining the transcriptional availability of any given gene. HDAC inhibitors (HDACi) are reported to suppress neovascularization in various mouse models and have become a novel target for the epigenetic regulation of critical pathways in neurodegenerative diseases including AMD. Heterogeneous effects of HDAC function occur depending on the target locus and the tissue type as HDACi can trigger both pro- and anti-inflammatory effects in a range of inflammation-relevant cell types. These effects include changes in pro- inflammatory eotaxin expression. We aim to establish the effects of broad band chemical HDACi on eotaxin expression and the correlation to cell death.

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